The best interior designers make the thoughtful layering of lighting, flooring, furniture, textiles and colour look deceptively straightforward. Yet only the brightest talents can distil a client’s wishes into a cohesive space.
The Spear’s Interiors Index 2025 recognises the industry’s best interior designers—those who can deliver properties, private jets, and yachts that meet the exacting standards of high-net-worth clients.
Explore the 2025 Spear’s Home & Design Indices:
- See also: Best landscape gardeners
- See also: Best architects for residential and commercial projects
These top-tier interior designers fuse creativity, innovation and expertise that reflect personal style and practical needs. For the first time, the list includes three Senior Statespersons: Andrew Winch, David Linley and Anouska Hempel. These are some of the most established and respected names in their markets, and they are invaluable in shaping the ethos of their firm and their sector at large. As Hempel’s eponymous firm ethos goes: in every design, ‘there is mystery, romance, theatre and perfection’.
From classic elegance to modern minimalism, these designers set trends and redefine luxury, comfort and functionality. This year there are eight ranked as Top Flight, the highest ranking, interior designers on the Index, reflecting the depth and talent in the Spear’s Index. Among the Top Flight, is Martin Waller, whose travel-inspired design house Andrew Martin, has been at the forefront of some of the world’s most ‘kaleidoscopic’ designs and Kelly Hoppen who counts the likes of David and Victoria Beckham among her clients.
Content from our partners
The advisers selected for the index work around the world, on jaw-dropping projects from North America to Asia; there are designers with a love of minimalism and maximalist designers who think ‘more is more’. Regardless of their personal taste or areas of expertise, the best interior designers will be able to incorporate the wishes of a client into an unbeatable space.
Click the links below to jump to a section of this article:
- Methodology
- Best interior designers: some names to know
- Best interior designers: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
Best interior designers: some names to know
Sharon Lillywhite
Focus: Thoughtful luxury
Ranking: Top Recommended
Firm: Oliver Burns Studio
Sharon Lillywhite founded Oliver Burns Studio in 2004 and over the last two decades has become an esteemed interior designer to some of the world’s wealthiest families, luxury brands and property developers. Projects include Belgravia townhouses, a residence overlooking Buckingham Palace garden, Italian lakeside villas and country estates.
Read Sharon Lillywhite’s full profile at Spears500.com
Charu Gandhi
Focus: London and global residential
Ranking: Top Recommended
Firm: Elicyon
A former member of the design team at Candy & Candy, Gandhi has left her mark on many high-profile projects around the world: in London the firm has completed seven apartments in One Hyde Park, along with many other projects in Mayfair, Marylebone and Knightsbridge. International work includes six apartments in One Palm Jumeirah and a 29,000sq ft penthouse in Dubai.
Read Charu Gandhi’s full profile at Spears500.com
Laura Hammett
Focus: Interior architecture and design
Ranking: Top Recommended
Firm: Laura Hammett
Laura Hammett founded her eponymous interior design firm in 2008 alongside her husband, Aaron.
The studio offers a comprehensive service which includes architectural and spatial planning, joinery, turnkey styling and lighting design. It does not have a specific in-house style, instead creating spaces that are ‘authentic, liveable and timeless’, and which follow the direction of clients.
Read Laura Hammett’s full profile at Spears500.com
Sameena Singh
Focus: Hospitality, branded residences and UHNW
Ranking: Recommended
Firm: Littlemore
Sameena Singh is the founder and creative lead of Maida Vale-based interior design agency Littlemore.
Her specialisms include five-star hotels, restaurants, embassies and convention centres; residential work can often be found in north and west London townhouses. Littlemore also commissions unique art, furniture, light fittings and carpets to complete the look and fulfil clients’ wishes.
Read Sameena Singh’s full profile at Spears500.com
Philippa Thorp
Focus: Longevity and quality
Ranking: Recommended
Firm: Thorp Design
Thorp designs globally, from the Bahamas and the South of France to the Alps and London. Recently, she led the creation of a Lake Como holiday home for an UHNW international family, blending Italian artisanal materials with modern technology.
Read Philippa Thorp’s full profile at Spears500.com
Matthew Williamson
Focus: Joyful maximalism
Ranking: Top Recommended
Firm: Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson started his working life as a fashion designer, building his own label and working as creative director for Emilio Pucci. Among his first interior design projects was the courtyard of Anouska Hempel’s Blakes hotel and the bridal suite in Aynhoe Park, Northamptonshire. He has since gone on to create spaces in Belmond’s La Residencia in Mallorca and London’s Design Museum.
Read Matthew Williamson’s full profile at Spears500.com
Best interior designers: the complete list
Click the individual/company name to visit the full profile on Spears500.com. Entries are sorted by ranking then listed in alphabetical order by surname.
Contact us
- To apply for inclusion in The Spear’s 500, complete our submission form.
- For further information about rankings, please email research@spearswms.com; we aim to respond to all queries within two working days.
- For commercial enquiries and questions relating to enhanced profiles, please contact Commercial Director Shady Elkholy: shady.elkholy@spearswms.com
- To keep up to date with the Spear’s 500, subscribe to our magazine, newsletter and follow Spear’s on Linkedin and Instagram.
- If you have missed calendar deadlines for our research cycles in 2025, you can still register your interest for updates about upcoming research and rankings.
- Click here to order a print copy of The Spear’s 500.
